Easy breaking and entering, my ass.
Fortunately, it’s pitch black out here, so no one can see when my feet or hands slip a couple of times on the way up.
The innate knowledge that the upper windows won’t be locked is unnerving. Everyone locks the ground-floor ones, but people, especially wealthy people, think they’re untouchable enough that being 30 feet from the ground is enough security against someone getting in.
It probably usually is, butusuallydoesn’t really apply to me.
“How’s it going, bat man?” Skyler’s voice interrupts my thoughts through the earpiece.
I grunt, “It’s going.”
“Can’t believe you’re not even inside yet,” he chuckles. “You’ve lost your touch.”
My eyes roll.No fucking shit, I’ve lost my touch.I’ve also lost all the years of learning how to do this.
“Can you give me any kind of direction on where to go once I get inside?” I ask, not engaging with his childish taunting.
He breathes out heavily, “You’ll be climbing in a guest bedroom window on the third floor, and it looks like the library is on the main level so head down the hallway to the left, you’ll find a staircase.”
“Library?”
“Yeah,” he pauses. “Hmm.”
“What hmm?” I ask.
“Nothing,” I hear the ceaseless typing of his laptop. “Yeah, on the official blueprint it’s classified as a library, not an office.”
Finally, climbing over the tiny balcony-type thing, I use my knife to flick open the latch of the strange accordion-like window, silently slipping through the small opening.
It’s even darker in here than outside, and I can’t help but wonder how the fuck I used to do this all the time. I’m going to trip over something and wake them up.
Leaning into instinct, I stay against the wall, feeling my way along it with both my hand and foot, gently pressing forward, around what must be a dresser, then finding a corner and continuing to follow the path around the edge of the room until I reach a door.
Flattened against the wall, I gently twist the handle and pull the door open, counting to 10 in my head before moving again in case the small squeak of the hinges did wake someone.
Little taps and dings from Skyler’s phone center me, keeping me connected to my friend outside even when he’s silent.
Keeping the same strategy, I slip into the hallway, hug the wall, and take light, quick steps until I reach the stairs.
Down the 24 steps, I whisper to Sky, “I’m at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Walk straight ahead about 8 paces, then the door to the library will be on your right,” he instructs, and I follow.
The office door is cracked, making it easy to slip right in without even a click of the handle.
Through the headpiece, I hear his phone ring for a split second before Skyler silences it.
“What was that?” I whisper.
“Where are you?”
“Just inside the library,” I explain. “Against the wall next to the door.”
“You need to get out of there. Now.”
“What? Why?” I remain completely frozen in place, considering how hard it would be to do so. There are windows in here, so I wouldn’t need to go back the way I came. I could be outside in less than 20 seconds.
“Brigit found how all of it’s connected,” he explains, typing rapidly on his computer. “Steele and Foley and the Morrison guy. You nee?—
